The Prime Minister of Sweden told a press conference that the Swedish government has made a formal decision to deploy mechanized units in Latvia at the beginning of next year. The Swedish parliament will still need vote on it.
"Latvia greatly appreciates Sweden's readiness to contribute to our collective deterrence and defense capabilities. Strengthening the security of the Baltic Sea region is now even more urgent than before. Latvia once again congratulates Sweden's decision to join NATO – we have always supported it. Membership in NATO also opens up new opportunities for closer cooperation in the development of the military industry," said the Latvian PM.
"The Swedish government's decision to officially start preparations for the deployment of its armed forces in Latvia is great news for strengthening our common security. Latvia will continue to develop its combat capabilities - we already invest around 3% of GDP in defense. This means that we are also developing Latvia's military infrastructure in order to be fully prepared for the reception of Swedish forces in our country," said Siliņa.
The heads of government also discussed strengthening resilience and joint cooperation in the information space to counter disinformation and propaganda.
While in Stockholm, the Prime Minister met with Micael Johansson, the president of the company SAAB and representatives of the company's management, with whom they discussed the development of the military sector and cooperation with Latvia.
The Prime Minister also met with representatives of the Latvian diaspora, as well as with the employees of the Latvian Embassy in Stockholm. On Friday, Siliņa will visit Gothenburg, where the focus will be on the promotion of economic cooperation with Sweden.
